I was thinking about this last night after reading your post and I tend to agree.
I think that a part of me really just wants dd to have as normal a life as possible.
I think that as time goes by we realise it just isn't worth the risk and we come up with alternatives.
I haven't found anyone too put out by our bringing our own food. Most peope are interested and amazed to learn about food allergies.
Most of dd's friends try really hard to find foods that she can have and are very understanding if I say, "I'm sorry, but she can't have that as the ingredients are too vague."

I agree that eating out is stressful. I think unless you deal with allergies on a daily basis, most people do not understand the importance of knowing what is in the food. I have told my son he must learn how to cook before he leaves the house.

He is allergic to milk, eggs, nuts and peanuts. We rarely eat out! We have found he can eat a few things at Wendy's, McDonald's and Swiss Chalet. I still prefer to cook for him at home.

Last summer we sent him off to summer camp with his own food. The cook at the camp was so grateful as I had taken the whole week of camp food and prepared it for him, labelled it and frozen it. The camp is peanut free which helps. He bragged that my homemade cinnamon buns were way better than what the other kids had to eat!

When we do eat out at other restaurants for special occasions we take along his own food and have not had any problems. Once they hear the list of allergies they gladly heat up our food in our containers. I would recommend the Elmhurst in Ingersoll as they were very accomodating to his allergies for heating up food.

I'm going to let my son read some of the replies as I'm sure it will encourage him to know that he is not the only one who faces this challenge.

That's great that you were able to send your child to camp..but it must have been *so* much work for you. I'm always complaining about having to take my own food wherever I go, but i've never had to cook a whole week's supplies in advance!

My Husband and I also make the food inadvance and freeze it so we can travel.
My Aunt said she is grateful that I bring my own food to her home.
She knows what fruit and vegetables I mostly can have and does not eat fish or peanut butter before I come.
Even my sons seem happy to have me travel to theire places and they buy some fruit and vegetables also.
I know at one sons place they all had pizza from a take out place and I had my own pizza. It waslike I just did not like the type they were having and I felt really good.
I have been asked by people did you bring something to eat; this would be for small things like a Bridal Shower etc.
MLL I to taught my sons to cook before they left the house and my Husband is a excellent cook.

MLL, my son is allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. The only place my son has eaten out at is Macdonalds. He can have the Hamburger Happy meal there. What can your son have at Wendys and Swiss Chalet? We should exchange some recipes! If you have a couple of great ones, I would love to have them. I am always looking for new recipes because as you know, it can be challenging with all these allergies. Thanks alot.

I have a 5 year old daughter with a life threatening milk allergy and a son who is 20 months but on the same diet as my daughter till at least 2 yrs. of age for fear he may be allergic also.The hard part is ,my daughter wants to start going out to eat more and she is getting sick of McDonald's hamburger happy meals.If anyone has any sugestions Please help!!!!We have an appt. with our allergist on the 18th of Aug and I hope her allergy has weakened as should be the case with milk protien allergies i'm told.

JJ, I take our daughter to the Teryaki Experience at the local food court. She has milk and egg allergies. She loves the yakosoba noodles (buckwheat). She doesn't like the teryaki sauce (not big on any sauce). I usually get them to include a couple of small containers of sauce for me as we share the dinner. (If you have it "to go", they put in a container which the top can be used as a plate).
I find the food is healthy (stirfried on the grill), fresh and loaded with vegetables(she now oves beansprouts).

Restaurant eating is out and has been for three years now. The Chef may be knowledgeable about no cross-contamination in his kitchen, but once it leaves his hands anything can happen to it. I mentioned my experience in another forum so will not repeat it but do have another example. As I was having my coffee, when I did go out, my friend and I commented on how the waitress always stuck her thumb into the peoples food. She would reach up to the counter and pop her thumb over the edge to balance it. Right into gravy, on a fry or whatever. Now if people have severe allergies it would have been the waitress who cross-contaminated the foods.

I, for one, trust no one but my husband when it comes to my food and possible if need be, my youngest son. Those are the only two who totally understand. Both have witnessed the anaphylaxis.

When we traveled to said son's wedding we stayed in suites all the way up and back. We drove because flying with epi pens etc was too much hastle and risky. Clamato juice in drinks etc. The Suites were great, as someone else said, we had home cooked meals. Healthier too. They only drawback was with the travelling and the wedding I was so tired and sore (fribromyalgia) that sitting in a restaurant would have been so relaxing - if not for my allergy.

My husband is very understanding although he misses out on a lot. Every party has food. Every reception seems to have gone wild with variety of foods - seafood included. The famous shrimp ring and dip is now a staple. When there is something really important that one of us should attend, and it is too too too risky for me I will send my husband. He explains my absense and people seem to understand. Sometime he explains- I would rather have my wife at home and alive. That seems to do the trick.

Ooops, forgot to go to grocery store. This forum is so interesting I loose track of time.

I don't know if it's an age thing or if it depends on the number of years you have lived with the allergies, but I find that many adults with allergies are willing to not eat restaurant food while many parents of food allergics want others to accomodate them... just a question I've been asking myself for a while.

As a parent of a peanut/nut-allergic allergic child, I don't expect restaurants to (or demand that they) accommodate my child, unless the restaurant is guaranteed peanut and nut-free... and we know those are extremely rare. I make the decision whether or not my child should eat at a particular restaurant. This involves research ahead of time and then questions to the manager, waiting staff and if possible, the kitchen staff. If I am satisified with the answers I receive and the staff is willing to accommodate, we eat there. We ask these questions every time we frequent the restaurant, even if we have been there before. As a result, my son is comfortable eating out. He is only 7 years old and he orders for himself and always mentions his allergy to the waiting staff. (Of course, they know this already because I already did my series of questions). I believe this is an important skill to learn because he realizes that his allergy is a part of his life, he's not ashamed of it, and doesn't feel like he is missing out. He has always been matter-of-fact about his allergies and has never felt embarrased about them. He's going to grow up one day and I will not always be there to protect him from allergens. He will need to take full responsibility for this when he is older and he will be well-versed on what types of restaurants to avoid. He can also make the choice if he wants to eat out at all. Being able to adapt to different social situations and knowing when to avoid the high-risk ones is a big part of growing up and living with allergies. It's all a learning process.

I'm not saying that food allergics should eat out... I'm just sharing my own opinion and personal experience, based on our own particular circumstances. In fact, I spend much more time encouraging and teaching my son to be comfortable in the kitchen, so he will develop the skills to cook for himself instead of being tempted to eat out all the time.

Storm, I like your approach---I worry when people just ask the waitstaff about the ingredients at the time of ordering, but if you do your research, ask more than one person and clarify the severity of the allergy and the problem with cross contamination I would think that you would be majorly reducing the risk. Plus you are educating the restaurant about allergies and making it easier for the next allergic person who comes along. I think it is also good that your son is involved with asking about the safety of his food--even though you've already checked it out this would probably make him more confident when dealing with allergies when you are not around.

I'm personally not comfortable with eating in restaurants (although I have been known to order chicken at Swiss Chalet), but I think it is great when people manage to do so safely in spite of allergies---I've had some bad experiences, but I've never taken all the precautions that you have. As well, I have so many allergies it would be a tall order for the restaurant to accomodate them---I worry that when it gets too complicated it would be easier to make a mistake.

Thanks Lisa. I do a lot of research beforehand and I try out the restaurant (without my son) to check out things. So there are very few restaurants that I am comfortable taking him to... but it's better than nothing.

For people with multiple allergies, I agree that it is much more difficult to eat out and those situations can be quite stressful. Eating out is supposed to be enjoyable so if it isn't, then there's no point. Anyway, there's lots of other ways to have fun that are not food-related!

For me, if I have to eat out anywhere than my Mom's, I am always so very stressed and there is a knot in my tummy until I am done eating and I almost cares my epipen like Frodo would the One Ring of power.

Anyone else is scared of eating out or is it just me?

Sounds jsut like me. Unless ive eaten somewhere for like 13937 times situation made much worse when people order nutty stuff (my parents are so guilty!!!!!) and eat it around you, and then say "stop beeing silly, its not gonna jump of the blooming plate down your throat is it" No, it isn't, but ever heard of aresol reactions?? and my mum used to be pretty sure b that the only way i could react if it got in by bloodstream (yeah, right- allergies can get worse! And where did she get that crystal ball, allergies are unpredictible , and even if i dont react to smell yet, the exposure is building, making it alot more likeley that i will...personally i think its a dab of bloody denial soemtimes! IK bet she wouldnt say all this if she was allergic! anyhow, things have got slightly better, no nuts in the house, or ordered at restruants. arrrrrrrgh! I so know what it feels like!

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